# Humidity problem + ideal RH for Cubans?



## mvorbrodt (Jan 13, 2010)

So after getting my 3 pack of Cohiba Robustos yesterday I decided to drop the humidity on them so they can be smoked at Thanksgiving. My humidor held NC's before and was tuned at 70% RH. I figured I'll let the Cubans sit outside of humidor for a day or so, but after measuring RH in my house (South FL) I discovered that with AC running at 76*F the RH in my house is 65% ~!!!!!!! So much for drying the sticks LOL

Question for the experts: what is the ideal RH for long(er) storage of Cubans? I plan on building up a collection of few hundred sticks and smoke maybe 2 or 3 a month. So they will be laying around for a while. I know the general rule thrown around US cigar shops is 70/70 but that's BS in my opinion; sticks are too wet that way and need drying before smoking. I hear people store their Cubans as high as 69% RH and as low as 62% RH. What RH should I store mine at? I would like a good RH for long term storage and aging, but also one where I can pick up a stick and just smoke it without having to dry box it for day(s).

Cheers!


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## UBC03 (Nov 18, 2015)

I keep mine at 61.. but I'm not "storing" anything..

This is a question for @curmudgeonista or @bpegler

Sent from. .. HAPPY HOLIDAYS.. YA JAGGOFFS


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## UBC03 (Nov 18, 2015)

I would of included @TonyBrooklyn but he's smokin his before the mailman leaves the driveway

Sent from. .. HAPPY HOLIDAYS.. YA JAGGOFFS


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## Rondo (Sep 9, 2015)

I like 62% for cc.


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## poppajon75 (Apr 10, 2016)

Personal preference for me is between 61%-63%. I find it helps alleviate draw issues. Just my opinion. 

Sent from the lost and found looking for my mind.


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## mvorbrodt (Jan 13, 2010)

Am I risking drying the tobacco oils if I keep my CCs closer to 62% +/-1 RH? I think I want to go with lowest possible RH that still preserves the cigar's flavor long term, but I hope experts can answer this


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## Kidvegas (Oct 17, 2016)

60-62 has been working great for me. At least for smoking. Long term I'm not the expert but, I'm guessing those numbers would be more than adequate for a long storage set up.


Sent from The Cauldron Of Insanity


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## WABOOM (Oct 15, 2015)

mvorbrodt said:


> Am I risking drying the tobacco oils if I keep my CCs closer to 62% +/-1 RH? I think I want to go with lowest possible RH that still preserves the cigar's flavor long term, but I hope experts can answer this


No.
62% is safe.


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## Bird-Dog (Oct 16, 2009)

I would go with 62% Bovedas


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## mvorbrodt (Jan 13, 2010)

curmudgeonista said:


> I would go with 62% Bovedas


yea I'm gonna use the 62 or 65% ones in my desktop humidor. I'm actually also shopping around for a LARGE humidor, one with electronic temp and RH control; something that will store many boxes...


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## TonyBrooklyn (Jan 28, 2010)

Anything i store long term is stored at 65% R/H.
These are special cigars gifts and so forth.
I would not suggest long term storage at any less than that.
Now the stuff i smoke as it comes in.
The everyday stuff.
57% -59% has been the sweet spot for me personally.
Of course as has been said most stuff hardly gets a chance to rest much less age. :vs_cool:


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## bpegler (Mar 30, 2006)

I’ve never had a problem with long term storage in the 62% range.


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## TonyBrooklyn (Jan 28, 2010)

bpegler said:


> I've never had a problem with long term storage in the 62% range.


In the traditional sense i have not either.
But it leaves less margin for error.
IMHO wetter is better for long term.:vs_cool:


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## TonyBrooklyn (Jan 28, 2010)

mvorbrodt said:


> yea I'm gonna use the 62 or 65% ones in my desktop humidor. I'm actually also shopping around for a LARGE humidor, one with electronic temp and RH control; something that will store many boxes...


Also don't forget calibrate your hygro at the R/H closest to the R/H you intend to store your cigars.
I common mistake is to take one of those Walmart $8 hygro's.
Calibrate it with a 75% boveda kit.
The friggin thing is off 5-7% at 70% R/h not so bad.
At 62% a disaster.
Take your hygro calibrate it with the 62% Boveda.:vs_cool:


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## mvorbrodt (Jan 13, 2010)

TonyBrooklyn said:


> Also don't forget calibrate your hygro at the R/H closest to the R/H you intend to store your cigars.
> I common mistake is to take one of those Walmart $8 hygro's.
> Calibrate it with a 75% boveda kit.
> The friggin thing is off 5-7% at 70% R/h not so bad.
> ...


great point! thank you, I have not thought of that; I always calibrated mine at 75%.

btw I plan on getting the Boveda Butler for my humidors: https://bovedainc.com/app/ looks like a cool tech


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## TonyBrooklyn (Jan 28, 2010)

mvorbrodt said:


> great point! thank you, I have not thought of that; I always calibrated mine at 75%.
> 
> btw I plan on getting the Boveda Butler for my humidors: https://bovedainc.com/app/ looks like a cool tech


Anytime my brother!:wink2:
Now that Butler is outasite.:vs_cool:


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## Bird-Dog (Oct 16, 2009)

mvorbrodt said:


> yea I'm gonna use the 62 or 65% ones in my desktop humidor. I'm actually also shopping around for a LARGE humidor, one with electronic temp and RH control; something that will store many boxes...


You may be right about 65% for a wooden desktop. Bovedas tend to run a few points lower in them, especially if the seal isn't perfect.

As for your extended storage, you stated above that you're looking to put away "a few hundred" cigars for the long-term. A typical 2.5 cu.ft. wineador like the Whynter CHC-251s or NewAir CC-300 should do nicely (those being the most common off-the-shelf cigar-ready models). Depending on your mix of drawers for loose cigars vs shelves for boxes, and your mix of vitolas, one of these should easily store 400-600 cigars and handle temp control quite nicely.

I would shy away from electronic RH control though. Two-way media such as Heartfelt Beads (HF), silica kitty litter (KL), or Bovedas are all much more reliable. Electronic humidifiers merely pump out humidity and shut off when they reach desired RH%. They can do nothing to reduce RH when necessary as two-way media does. And there are an awful lot of horror stories out there of them failing to shut down when they're supposed to, leading to catastrophically high RH if left unchecked for an extended period.

Add to that the fact that these wineadors seal so well that they stay extremely stable with very little need for the constant moisture input that many/most wooden humidors and cabinets require... the more so if your strategy includes using your desktop for smoking stock and the wineador for long-term storage, which suggests the wineador will only be rarely opened.

For most of us with wineadors a tray of HF or KL in the bottom is the typical approach, though with the advent of 320g Bovedas they've become an attractive option too. Either way, they work extremely well and actually require quite a bit less attention than electronic humidifiers.


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## UBC03 (Nov 18, 2015)

Jack's right about the electronic humidifiers. Mine stuck. It turned my cabinet into thre rain forest in no time. If I wasn't home to unplug it ,I woulda ended up with a big , expensive bowl of tobacco soup. My cabinets not big 4.5x2.5x2.. it had it in the 90s in less than two hours. 

I know technology has advanced since then. But I still don't trust the bastards

Sent from. .. HAPPY HOLIDAYS.. YA JAGGOFFS


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## Perfecto Dave (Nov 24, 2009)

Can't beat the Boveda packs or goods beads (such as heartfelt).
Both can be recharged many many times over the years of service they'll give you.
A calibrated hygro is just for the immediate visual.
No fret, no worries.
60 is best to 65 absolute max for smoking for me.
65 to 68 for longer storage


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## TonyBrooklyn (Jan 28, 2010)

As Jack and others have stated two way media is always the best choice.
I used to be a big advocate for Silica Kitty Litter.
When i housed 30, 40, 50, boxes at a clip.
Its cheap effective you can even tweak it with mineral salts.
That being said for me these days its Boveda's hands down. :vs_cool:


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